Punishment
by Yueli-san
Summary: The consequences for breaking the rules are a little different than expected.


You can hear music sometimes, even when your headphones are off. It was quiet at first, so faint you didn't even notice it. As time passed it grew louder and became an almost constant presence. You realized quickly that no one else could hear it, although sometimes you think Rhyme can hear echoes. But Beat, Shiki, and Eri remain clueless and for some reason this both reassures and frustrates you.

Every day you visit the Hachiko statue. Sometimes you're there for hours and other times you only glance at it before continuing on. The place gives you a jumble of feelings from warmth to terror but you can't seem to go a day without visiting. You don't tell anyone the reason why because you don't even know.

It's become a joke of the group that everyone but Eri seems to flinch whenever they see someone in a red jacket. When it first happened everyone laughed a little but underneath the humor there was a feeling of unease. No one pointed it out, but everyone could all tell that something was wrong. It was the same wrongness that is felt whenever Shiki is mistaken for Eri. If the flash of pain that travels through both their eyes is ignored then it simply isn't there.

When the fashion magazine on your coffee table catches your eye you glance through it. It was probably left by your workaholic mom on one of the rare times she breezed through to change clothes. The only reason you bother with these kinds of magazines is because you've become Shiki and Eri's unofficial mannequin and you like to at least have an idea of what you will most likely be forced to wear. When you pass by a page about past fashion trends it catches your eye. What you see is an article about a red pin and the world goes black for a moment. By the time you come back to yourself you are panting hard and the magazine is in shreds. The music is louder than ever and you think that you might be just a little bit insane.

All of you carry pins on you everywhere you go. Beat insists they are a good luck charm and Rhyme says she likes the pictures on them. Shiki always mumbles about them being reassuring and makes Eri wear several just because. You keep yours because you know they are important even though you don't know why. Whenever there are extras they are left in an easily visible place. No one talks about why they do that either.

Headaches seem to be passing between the group like the common cold. Sometimes they are minor annoyances and other times they become full blown migraines. When they get really bad the person affected always seems to be glancing at something at the corner of their eye. You all know that what is seen is something that is not there so it becomes another unspoken connection. You are all frightened but if it remains unacknowledged it will all just go away.

You're walking home alone when you hear it over the music. Probably the most annoying sound in the world and it cuts through you like a knife. It is the most frustrating giggle you have heard and you thank whatever is out there that you manage to make it home before you burst into tears. You swear you hear a faint coo and sigh before whatever it was is gone. You don't stop crying until you exhaust yourself into unconsciousness. You still go to Hachiko the next day.

When everyone gathers at CAT Street you all know that something is going to change. Eri insisted she come even though she knows she doesn't have to be involved. As you approach the small café that has been closed for as long as you've known it has existed it's as if the whole world is holding its breath. You push open the door and the darkened space comes alive. As the lights come on it's like a switch had been flipped in your head and suddenly everything makes a lot more sense. Beat is holding Rhyme as though he'll never see her again and Rhyme is patting him reassuringly on the head. Both Shiki and Eri are hugging and sobbing and apologizing over and over again. By the time your eyes rove over to the two by the counter Josh has already stood up and begun moving towards you. When he notices your gaze he abruptly stops and seems unsure how to continue. He's on the floor before he comes to a decision. Your hand hurts pretty badly but you sure feel a hell of a lot better. You step right over him and sit down on a stool before motioning back.

"You are an insufferable prick Josh, now get over here and buy me an overpriced coffee."

The look on his face is possibly worth all the shit you've been through since those three weeks ended and everyone else has seemed to have calmed down and joined you on a stool. You still think you are owed a pretty damned good explanation though. When every person has a coffee you glance at Joshua and give him a pointed look.

"Well you see I may have broken a couple of rules with the games you participated in and the higher ups weren't exactly happy…"


End file.
